Lights and Sirens
by ClearlyInvsible
Summary: Modern AU/M!Robin: Ylissetol is the largest city on the continent. A sprawling metropolis that's the home of millions of people. Old and young. Native and migrant. Lawful and Criminal. Robin's just another person in the crowd who wants to do the right thing. That desire leads him to joining the city's Police Department, and all the chaos that a job like that brings.
1. Foreword

Hey there, everyone. Usually I interject bits and pieces into my stories via author's notes at the beginning or ends of chapters when needed, but I wanted to try something different this time. I always feel like when an author has to break the story's flow to speak directly to the readers, that can effect how people take the story in a pretty negative way. Any questions people ask in the reviews, I'll answer via direct reply.

So the following is just going to be me laying out all of my thoughts and plans for the fanfic that's about to follow.

* * *

I have always been a complete sucker for modern AUs. It doesn't matter what the original source material is, be it from a cartoon, video game or anime. Taking a group of characters from a fantasy, historical or futuristic setting and placing them into a modern-day situation and upbringing has always peeked my interest. Because I do believe that people are made up of two facets, who they are at their core and how they're raised via their environment. Changing the setting will change how a character acts, but it also lets them keep their quid-pro-quo 'soul.' What makes them, them.

I'm also a sucker for cop dramas. Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, NYPD Blue. You name it, I've probably watched it. Even back when I was a kid I basically idolized these shows and the people in them, always kept me on my heels waiting for the next big thing.

And it goes without saying that I'm a sucker for Fire Emblem. Awakening is my favorite in the series, though I've now played every game in the series except FE1-3, 9, 10 and 12.

So I figure... screw it, let's throw all of the above into a blender and try to make a nice story out of it from Robin's PoV.

I've obviously had to edit a few things, that you'll be able to catch onto quickly. First and foremost being Robin does **not** have amnesia. He's just an immigrant kid trying to live his life in a world that dwarfs him. Chrom's a bit less formal due to the setting. All of the ESU Shepards are somewhere in their 20s, with Phila, Emmeryn and Frederick being in their mid to late 30s. Character backstories will be further explained and explored over time for each character.

I'm basing the unit that these guys are in on the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit. Look up the Wikipedia page for an in-depth explanation, but they're basically a catch-all Law Enforcement group that handles everything from patrols to rescue situations to medical emergencies to even SWAT stuff like counter-terror operations and drug/gang raids. I thought that they would be the most similar to how the Shepards operate and move in the Awakening. They're an elite milita lead by a royal, but they don't have a specific job besides safeguarding the Haildom. Protecting people, healing the sick, fighting against the enemies of Ylisse. Yada yada yada. For ranks I'm also just going to be borrowing the NYPD and NYFD's structure. Along with their 10 codes, but I plan to explain each of those when they're used.

Awakening's story will serve as a general framework. There will be intersects, inspirations and near copies of what happens in-universe. This is mostly to keep the store as a whole grounded, and not to devolve completely into some zany nonsensical series of events. Most of what occurs between major plot-points will be completely original content, however.

The characters should not deviate very far from their original portrayals. Chrom will still be distinctly Chrom, Gaius will still act very Gaius-like. Olivia isn't suddenly going to start benching people like she's Sully. Excetera and so forth.

Finally the rating. I'm choosing M because I want more room to cover what an officer usually has to see in the line of duty. No, I don't plan to make this fic grim-dark (Grim-dark doesn't work well for Awakening, even when things get dark in-game the overall tone's still pretty light). No, I don't plan on writing out lemon scenes unless it has some purpose in the story. There's gonna be blood and violence, there's gonna be dead-people, there's gonna be swearing. Everything you see happen in the Die Hard/Lethal Weapon franchise is basically fair-game here. But for the most part this fic is gonna be the same as any T rated story you'd find.

* * *

Overall I see this as a writing experiment more than anything else. Stretching my imagination so I can improve. And as always I will always take critique when I can, because God knows you learn more in failure then you do in success.

This has no dedicated update scheduled like my other series. This has no endpoint. This has really no formula. Just what I feel will be a good read, and a stream of consciousness.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do writing it. Thanks for reading.


	2. Day 1, Week 1

" _ **Southtown Fields. Now arriving at: Southtown Fields. Please mind the gap as you're exiting the train."**_

The robotic voice rings in my ears as I stepped off of the subway car, duffle bag slung over my shoulder and hood upped up over my hair. The crowd's calmly shuffling it's way into the station. LED signs keep flashing advertisements for the news things; phones, tablets, energy drinks, ramen. The basic essentials for living in the largest city on the continent, I guess. You can ignore all the hustle and bustle around you if your nose is stuffed into a phone.

Half of this city seems to be underground. Even with these subway stations you see a bunch of different stories and stalls scattered all over the place, basically a mini mall in it's own right. You can get a bite to eat, have your shoes cleaned, copy a key, do your laundry. I'm surprised they don't have apartments buried below-ground too at this rate, it'd be easier for people to get everything they needed right outside their door.

Back in Plegia everything felt so underdeveloped compared to Ylisse. We had a few overground train-stations littering the city outskirts, one station in the center. Other than the capitol, everything else was basically just a small town surrounded by oil refineries. People didn't have all this tech, or lived in any kind of luxury. The fact that things were so prosperous over here compared to just over the border is jarring.

I scan my pass and go through the turnstile, morphing in with the crowd of people who rise up the stairs from the artificial illumination of the tunnel into the sun's soft embrace. We're funneled out onto the sidewalk surrounding a large, flat park. Around that was a road, and even more buildings on the other side of _that._ Skyscraping offices, business centers and apartment blocks. More than a few busy shops permeated the ground floors, people talking over coffee and pastries. Think I see a bar down there too… hrm, I could go for a pint right now. I would, if I had any credits left to spend.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see the sign on the road that leads up to it. 'Ylisstol Emergency Services Academy', 100 Royal Plaza. At the end of the park should be the headquarters for all of the Government agencies in the city. The court, city hall, jail and a bunch of other Government buildings I can't recall line the outskirts on the opposite side of where I am now. But right dead in the center is this Academy, freshly built and by the new city administration.

Seven key buildings resting in the center with a roadway curving towards it. A bunch of practice fields, fencing and towers line the territory. Some firing ranges, too I think. Along with… is that a driving circuit? They really dumped a lot of tax dollars into this, Gods. No wonder they're paying so well here.

I can see a slew of people wandering and driving up to the central complex. Moms and Dads embracing their children before sending them off into the building. Couples too, giving their partners one final kiss before going inside. My heart sinks a bit, dwelling on the past. I do wish I had that. Someone who was waiting for me once I was done with my twelve week stint at this place.

' _Stick to Law school, Mom said. They pay better, you'll live longer, she said.'_

She wasn't wrong, I'm probably going to regret doing this.

With a yawn, I take my first step forwards towards the main building. It's an old-styled monolith, the architecture rivalling that of a capitol building. Domed top, pillars at the front. Red brick wings fanning to the left and right, with larger halls leading into the back. Compared to the modern city that surrounds it, with towers dominating the sky, it feels so small and out of place.

Another yawn. Gods, I'm tired. Trying to sleep in the motel last night was a complete nightmare. Now I'm about to show up to my first day looking like a complete zombie. Ugh… maybe...

I check down to my phone, it's only eleven. Another two hours before orientation starts, I could always just catch some shuteye before then. Doubt anyone would mind much if I just ducked under… that tree there, actually. All alone in front of the building.

As I walk my way over I can catch sight of a few people wandering around. A tall woman wearing a red tank top, with short frizzled red hair. Looks like a stereotypical tomboy. She's talking with… who is she talking with? I can't see them, it's like she's speaking to a wall. Sitting on top of a car's roof I can see a brunet man eating an apple almost whole, joking with a wild-haired shirtless blonde guy and a rather stern faced woman with glasses fixed on her face.

' _OK, maybe I'm not the biggest weirdo here. That's a comforting... no, no it isn't.'_

Slowly I set myself against the trunk of the tree, using my duffle as a makeshift pillow as before resting my head against it. After a few nights of being stuck on a rickety, shitty mattress, this almost feels like heaven. It's so quiet and serene. Just feeling the summer breeze on my face, listening to people talk and laugh… I could get used to this.

* * *

Hrm…

Ugh… my head feels so light…

What's that? I can hear voices. Am I dreaming...?

"-om. We have to do _something._ "

Who the… sounds like a girl.

"What do-... we do?"

And a… guy? Damn it Robin. Open your eyes and get up.

That's when I finally see the two intruders on my nice little nap.

The first is a younger woman, hair framed up into a pair of elaborate blonde twintails dance above her head. Her eyes are… massive, they're almost like pools of murky blue water. A yellow and white sundress flows down from her, poofing out near the bottom. She looks so worried as she's peering down at me. Is something wrong? Did a branch fall on my head or something? ...Oh right, I forgot. I didn't shower, and my hair's a mess. She probably thinks I'm a hobo.

"I see you're awake now." The other unknown finally speaks, my vision clearing up to reveal him as a rather tall blue-haired man. He looks extremely well built, wearing a v-neck blue t-shirt. His stance is stiffer than the girl's as well, regimented and practice. Ex-Military probably? There's a lot of veterans around after the war.

"H-hey there!" The girl chirps at me, clearly trying to be friendly. Her nervousness pretty obviously betrays her intent, though. She looks like she's about to run away in a panic, Gods alive.

"There's better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know." The man continues in tandem, extending a hand down to me. Well, at least one of them doesn't seem that worried about me. Plus it'd be rude to not take up his offer of help. Right, let's just grab on and…

Up I go onto my feet, pulling my hood back down to let my screwed up hairdo bask in all of its glory. This seems to only scare the woman even more, eyes somehow going even wider as she sees the state I'm in entirely.

"Thanks." I manage out, dusting the blades of grass off of myself. "Uh… sorry, do either of you know the time?"

"It's ten to one." He answers without even checking. Must've checked his watch before he wandered over here I guess.

Wait.

Ten to one.

 _...Shit._

" **Shit!"** I cry out, turning around and grabbing my duffle bag off of the tree and quickly cleaning it off. Damn it, why didn't I set my phone to go off!? Crap, crap. OK, ten minutes. I can work with ten minutes. Just need to check in with the desk sergeant, hand in my papers, find my barracks, stow my stuff, get to formation. Yeah, I can totally do that. Totally! There is absolutely NO way I'm doing that all in time.

"Hey!" I hear the girl call out, quickly hearing her whip to my side and grab hold of my duffle bag. Is she trying to carry the thing for me? It's almost half her size! "Listen, it's OK! We're not going to arrest you! We aren't even cops!"

"Yet." The blue man jokes, the smirk on his face clearly showing how amused he was by this whole affair. Well I'm not, not in the slightest. I'm actually getting pretty anxious. Need to leave and get inside before I end up getting kicked out.

"The Shelter's just down the road!" The blonde continues, her worry melting away into a caring smile as she hopped up in place. "We'll take you there! I swear it's better than the park. They've got beds, and a soup kitchen, and-"

Oh my Gods she actually thinks I'm a hobo.

I calm myself down quickly and shake my head, smiling sheepishly as I take hold of my bag again. "Thanks but uh… I'm not homeless." I explain, confusing her even more than before. I jut a thumb over my shoulder and towards the Academy building. "I'm actually a cadet. I just passed out for a bit. Bad night's sleep."

Understanding dawns on her face, her head bobbing up and down slowly in a nod before she squeaks and covers her mouth. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She stammers out through both of her hands. "I just thought, with the look and your white hair and your accent! We just-"

"Don't rope me into this, I told you he was probably another cadet." Her older companion called from behind me, prompting the girl to fume at him from under my arm. He just laughed, clapping a hand on my shoulder and taking a place next to the girl. "Sorry about that. My sister can be a bit… presumptuous." He explained.

I join him with a curt chortle. It really is a pretty humorous situation when you think about it. It'd be a good start to a comedy flick, actually. The trio meets unexpectedly, messing around due to innocent mistakes and circumstance. The guy gets the girl, there's a massive dance party at the end. Roll credits. Could probably make a decent dime off of a screenplay like that, best save it for later.

"It's fine." I say quickly, slinging my bag back over my shoulder and smiling down at the shorter lady. "If anything it was flattering, it's nice that someone would go outta their way to help a complete stranger." I offer her a hand, trying my best to keep a positive demeanor. Truth be told I'm more than a bit offended, but at least it's the well-meaning kind of profiling. Plus I don't think she did it on purpose.

She takes my hand quickly, shaking it up and down with a force that almost tears it clean off. "Easy, Lissa." Her brother notes once more, seeing the pain flash across my face with each hoist up and down. Once again she quickly releases my hand and squeaks out an apology, meanwhile I just roll my shoulder and try to ignore the pain.

"So." The man continues, walking past me and towards the door. Reflexively I turn to walk beside him, with 'Lissa' zooming up to my right as she holds her hands behind her back. She's humming a tune that sounds really familiar, but I can't quite place it. It's rather nice too. The kind of song that gets stuck in the back of your head and gets logged in there. "You're a cadet too then? Police, Fire Department or EMS?"

I think for a moment, not really sure how much I'm supposed to tell people about where I'm being assigned. When I got my notice papers in the mail, I was honestly pretty surprised at the position they threw me in. "Police." I answer, trying to remain rather vague.

The smile on his face grows a bit, nodding in apt approval. "Same here actually." He confirms, stretching his arms out as we step onto the asphalt and walk across. "Good to see someone else who's going to be here. Lissa's going to be an EMT, actually. They say what unit you're being placed in?"

I open my mouth to reply, only to shutter it soon afterwards. Crap. OK, would it really matter if I told him? The guy clearly knows how things work around here, so I doubt he's trying to sneak information out of me. And it's not like I'm joining some sort of black-ops group or something, I'm sure information about this little PR stunt's gonna be revealed soon enough anyway. "Troop Thirteen. It's some kind of experimental unit I guess." I admit, waiting for the man to reply.

His grin only seems to widen, Lissa's humming getting cut off by a happy squee of excitement. "Ooooh! That's our group!" She cries out, once again hopping up and down as we slip inside of the building. "Oh, this is amazing! I can already tell you're such a nice guy, too! Maybe this whole training thing slog won't be so bad after all!"

My head darts back and forth between the two in sheer confusion, unsure of how this is possible. "But-. Wait-. She's-. You said-." I stammer out, trying to form a proper sentence. I'm still half-asleep, so I end up just slurring half the words before they even leave my mouth.

"Peace, friend." The man states, gesturing for us to halt before he explains. "Thirteen's a joint unit. They're people from all the agencies in there. Which means that you're a specialist of… some kind I guess. Must've had good marks on the entrance exam too. What put you ahead of the crowd?"

"I uh… went to College?" I answer carefully, unsure of why I was placed in the group myself. My entrance marks were high, sure. But those alone wasn't really enough to justify putting me in some sort of prima-donna group.

"So did I." Lissa interjected, hands on her hips. The look on her face was creased and suspect, she obviously though I was hiding the real reason I was chosen. "What College did _you_ go to, smarty-pants?"

As I'm about to open my mouth to retort, I hear a third voice make a distinct sound. The clapping of boots against the tile floor directs all of our eyes forward as a figure approaches us. Tall, about as tall as the blue man. Older too, her features seem more worn and mature. Periwinkle hair is done up in a tight military bun, what looks to be a yellow stab-vest covered her torso, a slate gray uniform shirt and black tie covered beneath it. Black uniform pants stretch down her legs, the ends covered up by thick black riding boots.

"You're going to be late." She engages with a level, disapproving tone. Stopping in front of the three of us, both hands held at ease behind her back. Her eyes are an unnerving shade of orange, scanning over each of us with a mix of annoyance and disapproval. She reminded me dangerously of my mother whenever she became cross with me.

Lissa gulped, looking down and pressing the two of her index fingers together rather nervously. I stiffened up immediately, my back going rigid and arms snapping to my side. All the while the mystery man continued to stand rather casually, before bowing his head. "Sorry, Phila. We were just helping this new trainee find his way here."

"If he had trouble getting here, I doubt his stay will be very long." She states bluntly, eyes going up and down my form before her pupils focus down on my own. My heart feels like it's about to rip out of my chest, this woman's probably the most terrifying thing I've seen all year.

It doesn't stop there either. Without warning one of her boots slams down onto the tile, echoing about the room loudly. **"Cadet! Sound off!"**

Instinct takes over at that point, suddenly I feel like I've been shoved back in time to the last instance an instructor was screaming at me for messing something up. **"Ma'am! Cadet Second Grade, Robin Perezia, sounding off!"**

"Perezia." She states with no surprise, pacing about the three of us slowly. A chill rushes up my spine as I can sense her make her way around me. First day here and I'm already gonna get bathroom duty at this rate. "So you're one of the Plegians who got put in Thirteen." Phila notes, her voice turning icy at the mention of my nation of birth. Keep your cool, Robin. Answer her questions honestly. You have nothing to hide.

"So. Why're you here, Cadet?" She continues to question, rounding about our right and coming to a stop back in front of us. "Most Plegian immigrants in Ylisse stick to themselves. Next to none ever try to get a Government job." Out of the corner of my eyes I can see Lissa keep shifting uncomfortably in place. Her brother doesn't seem happy with the cross examination either, the crease of a frown visible from where I stood.

"Just wanted to give back to the city I grew up in." I answer, truthful as ever. It's one of the reasons why I applied and took this job, better then going back to University and going stir-crazy in a lecture hall again.

The woman grunts, nodding at me as her eyes scan me over again. "Uh huh… how very noble of you." She states, more to herself then to be by the sound of it. "Phila Equis, Academy Commandant. You get to call me Captain or ma'am. Unlike this laid back numbskull here." She gestures again to the man at my side. My shoulders sag in relief as I seem to gain her, at the very least, temporary approval.

"Get him to the barracks and get his stuff stowed." She instructs both of my erstwhile companions, jutting a finger up at the tallest of us and narrowing her eyes. "And you. Vacation's over, get your head out of the clouds. This is the last time I'm covering with the Chief Inspector for you." With that, the woman walked off down a hallway to our side.

I exhale a sigh of relief, glad to finally be out from under the ire of the woman's gaze. An action mirrored almost perfectly by Lissa. The blue tipped man, on the other hand, shook his head as he runs a hand through his hair. "...Let's get moving. We need to form up at the auditorium in…" He checks a watch on his wrist, before walking off towards the staircase. "Twenty minutes."

Lissa and I follow behind him without another word, the bag behind me feeling oddly heavy now that I'd been carrying it for so long. Basically my entire life was in this thing. Almost all the clothes I had, my laptop, toothbrush. Everything short of furniture.

"I never caught your name." I ask once we get to the top floor, walking alongside the man briskly. Lissa had already parted ways with us, the female barracks being on the opposite side of the building. She said she didn't want to 'smell like a boy'. I guess we smell really bad? Well, in my case I can't complain. I actually do smell awful.

Again the man chuckles, offering me his right hand to grasp. "Chrom. Chrom Lowell. 'Cadet First Grade' if you want to get technical."

I take Chrom's hand gladly, shaking it with a happy smirk on my face. "So, Chrom. You make a habit of getting in trouble with your commanders and grabbing random strangers from grassy fields?" I quip, trying to make light of the odd situation we were in.

He throws his head back and laughs, stuffing a hand into his right jean pocket. "I try to help those who need it whenever possible, yes. It's one of the reasons why I'm becoming an officer."

"So you're an altruist then? I thought chivalry was dead." I state with a bit of cynicism, rolling my shoulders as the sun gleams through the windows and shimmers against our sides.

"I don't try to hide behind titles, Robin. I just do the right thing." He explains with a shrug, as if it was the simplest thing for him in the world to do. Help a complete stranger, act casual, be back in time for dinner. Not even something worth mentioning.

"Well, thanks. But you should be glad I wasn't really a maniac-hobo." I muse, checking my papers to see the room number bolted to the door. We both stop once we see my assigned room, the numbers '555' printed clearly above the porthole. "Well, this is it."

"...This can't be right." He states, before drawing out a key. Before I can even ask why he's doing that, he inserts the key and opens the door. How did he have that? Wait, is he in this room too?

Inside are two bunks set up, three of the mattresses already covered in other people's belongings scattered belongings. Some trash, clothes, shoes and bags on each. The only one left is the bottom bunk on my right-hand side… the pillows are already missing.

"Really!?" I call out in annoyance, throwing my hands up in the air. "Who took my pillows?! What kind of sadist takes a man's pillows!?" I protest, grumbling as I walk over to the remaining mattress and toss my bag onto the thing. It doesn't even bounce a bit when it hits the fabric, just sinking down into the bed itself.

"Probably Stahl. He said he thought his bed was too hard." Chrom recalls, grinning a bit too happily at my suffering. "He's a good guy, though. You two will be pretty fast friends, I'm sure. And we can get another pillow from storage."

"Once he gives me my pillows back, I'll consider it." I mutter bitterly, scanning over the room. It was still untouched for the most part, it's new residents hadn't broken it in yet for their own devices. The top bunk on the other side was pretty messed up already, more than a few bags of chips and soda cans present on top of it. The lower one had a massive hiking back resting in the rear, pressed up against the wall and unopened. "Holy Naga, that thing is huge."

"That would probably be Kellam. He's uh… he's something. You'll see for yourself when we find them." Chrom explains further, motioning for me to stand up almost frantically. "Come on, we've only got a few more minutes! We're probably gonna have to run if we want to make it."

Again I groan, getting back up and rushing out the doorway. Best not to lag behind the apparent prince of the entire Academy.

* * *

We're the last two people to arrive at the formation.

Everyone's formed up, casually standing and talking with each other just like at the front gate. Easily about twenty-odd people, men and women, waiting for something to happen. It's a really colorful crowd to say the least. Everyone's still wearing their civilian clothes, and no one's really changed their different hairstyles. Reds, greys, blues, yellows and browns bob up and down like a forest of multi-colored trees. I can even see Lissa's distinctive twin-tails sailing through the air, pulling along another blonde girl with… are those _drills?_ How did she pull that off?

Chrom doesn't waste time gawking, going over to to a man talking to… nothing. Hand stuffed in a bag of chips as he smiled in a relaxed posture. The man's cowlick and polo shirt are oddly normal compared to the backdrop of character's he's standing close to. He's pretty well built too, but nothing compared to some of the others present.

"Stahl!" Chrom calls as we reach the man, prompting him to turn and face us as he slips another chip into his mouth. "Good, we aren't late. Shouldn't the speech have started by now?"

The man shrugs, munching on the snack before responding. "I dunno man, you know the Chief better than I do. Ain't he and your sister…?"

That imagine breaks my mind. The mystery man dating someone like Lissa. "Wait, what?" I ask, caught off guard by that implication.

"Different sister." Chrom corrects, his face flushing a bit in embarrassment.

Stahl starts laughing as he realizes the conclusion I jumped to, grinning from ear to ear. "Not Lissa, don't worry. I'm pretty sure Frederick has twelve years on her." He explains, offering me what's left in the bag. "Name's Stahl. You're our last bunk-mate I guess?"

I take the bag and throw a chip in my mouth, humming to myself as I nod in response. Honey barbecue, nice. "Yeah. Name's Robin. But uh… where's our fourth? There's only three of us."

"I'm right here." A man says, materializing to my left out of nowhere. I almost drop my recently donated bag of food as I jump to my side, almost tumbling over into Chrom. Where the heck did this guy come from!? Was he always here!? Wait, is he who Stahl was talking to? Just… I'm so confused.

Disheartened, the man sighs. Looking at his figure, I'm surprised I didn't notice him before. He's massive, easily the tallest person in the room. Short cropped black hair, small and narrow eyes, arms built like pile-drivers. He's basically a walking titan, except for the meek voice.

"Sorry." I apologize quickly, offering him the remainder of the bag as an olive-branch. "You're Kellam, right? Chrom mentioned you earlier. Thanks for not stealing my stuff. Unlike _someone else._ "

Being called my name seems to brighten his demeanor up considerably, Kellam's eyes lighting up as he's recognized. Stahl conveniently looks towards the stage, pretending that he hadn't heard a peep. I guess I know who I need to lock my stuff up from, then.

They both seem like decent guys though. I think Chrom was right about getting along with them.

Kellam looks like he's about to say something, when the microphone erupts to life on the stage. All at once, the voices in front of the stage are snuffed out. Heads turn to face the platform, some people drifting into an attentive stance, others just loitering in place with a bored expression.

Captain Phila makes her way center-stage, having removed her vest and presenting herself in a clear manner to the body. She looks very much displeased at the ragged gaggle of people standing before her, those piercing orange eyes boring their way through anyone unlucky enough to catch her ire.

She brings the microphone up to her mouth, before barking out the same phrase as she had to me. **"Cadets, attention!"**

That one order gets everyone to shape up at once. Eyes forward, backs straight, complete silence. Some small variations in posture between everyone, but there wasn't a soul that was screwing around anymore. A deathly tension filled the air, all sense of levity was killed on the spot.

Smirking, the Captain continues. "Welcome to your first day at the Academy, kids." She announces to the group, placing the microphone onto the stand in front of her. "Each of you has reached the requirements to become a public servant of our fair city. Congratulations, you managed the easy part."

I shutter involuntarily at that news. I have a feeling she isn't kidding.

"But, this group is special." Phila continued. "Everyone here's been selected due to both their scores during their physical and written entry exams, along with their technical backgrounds." She explains carefully, gaze halting on a certain person with each word she says.

"Some of you possess a diploma that caught the eye of the commission." She looks to a brown haired woman with horned glasses and an angular face.

"Some of you are veterans, already having experience and knowledge to prove yourselves in law enforcement." Now she glares down at a man with long, periwinkle hair. His eyebrows seem to be dancing up and down as he's speaking to a girl to his left.

"Some of you have legal expertise, the ability to act as good investigators and brokers both in a courtroom and out in the field." This time she's looking at the drill-haired girl from before, I can see Lissa clutching her hand in a death-grip.

"Some have medical expertise, with the ability to save the lives we're charged to protect." Her eyes fall on a blonde-haired wo...man… is that a woman or a man? They look so effeminate, but their posture's all wrong.

"Many of you have military experience, and have shown capacity in combat." This time I can see Kellam's chest swell with a degree of pride. The Captain doesn't stop at him though, her gaze just glossing over our group entirely, causing his moment of triumph to deflate and die off. Poor guy.

"Each of you has something they bring to the table. Something you excel at beyond that of a normal officer. So congratulations, you all made your moms and dads proud. Now all you need to do is to not flunk out." A laugh ripples through the crowd, and I see the woman smirk at her new trainees.

"Now, I'm going to hand things off to your future commanding officer." She finishes, lifting a hand to beckon someone from offstage to come forwards.

As a new man makes his way up to the stage, I can feel Chrom tense up next to me. The first time that I've seen him nervous all day. The new subject of our attention is an older man, about the same age as Phila, tidy brown hair topping his etched and worn visage. He's in a deep blue dress uniform, coat over a white shirt and blue tie. Under his right arm is a normal peaked police cap, both of his hands covered in perfectly clean white gloves. An aura of authority and dictation shimmered about him, like he could snap his fingers and the entire borough could silence itself.

"That's the Chief Inspector, isn't it?" I whisper out of the corner of my mouth, the rest of my form remaining as stiff as a signpost. Chrom merely grunts in the affirmative, clearly sharing my state of mind. Everything was telling me that now was not a good time to make a fool of ourselves.

The Chief gives the microphone a tap, thump echoing through the room. I can almost see the waves of sound ripple around him and through all of us. It's like an ethereal scythe reaping everything in front of it.

"I'm not one for speeches, so we'll keep this brief." The man rumbles at us in a deep, refined tone. "You're all probably wondering what the end-goal of this training formation is. We've kept it rather quiet to avoid any leaks to the press, but now's a good time as any to explain."

So I'm finally not going to be kept in the dark anymore? It's a Yuletide miracle.

"Modern emergency work is not the same as it used to be. The normal roles of police, EMTs and rescue units are not enough to keep up with the increasingly higher stakes and frequency of crises that reflect the day to day of this city." He beings, adjusting his collar ever so slightly.

"In order to meet this reality, the Lady Magistrate along with Commissioners of Police and Fire have decided to form a new Emergency Services Unit." He begins. "Under the command of the Police Department's Special Operations Bureau, with members of both groups maintaining their own structure and covering multiple duties. Those being rescue services, emergency medical services, high profile crimes in progress, and special weapons involvement."

One of the people in the group raises a hand, almost immediately earning the Chief's attention. He nods, allowing the auburn-haired man to speak plainly. "Yeah, uh. Are we on the clock for this? Or does that not kick in yet?"

This finally broke the tension in the room, everyone just starts laughing all over again. Chrom and I finally break our stiff forms and join the crowd, while I'm just trying to cover my mouth and hide my stupid smile.

This goes on for a little while, the Chief remaining straight and stern while Phila fumed at us from the sidelines. **"Alright, then! All of you, get back to your barracks! The staff will take you all on facility tours tonight! Training starts tomorrow, move!"** She screams out at the top of her lungs.

The crowd disperses rather quickly, everyone making their way back to their beds so they can get some rest before the coming exercises. Stahl tells us he's gonna wait in the room, an apple materializing out of nowhere as he walks off and takes a bite out of it. Kellam, yet again, disappears without a trace. The guy is really starting to freak me out with that.

Chrom and I turn to leave ourselves, when the telltale voice of the Chief echoes through our ears.

"Chrom." He calls, and we can see him wandering over with Phila in tow.

He gives me a sideways glance. "Go on without me, I'll be right behind you."

I look over to the two, just as they're about to arrive. "He doesn't look happy, and it's probably my fault. I'm not going to bail on you." I affirm, just as the large man in question happens upon us entirely. His eyes narrowed and mouth curled down in an annoyed frown.

"What's this I hear about you being late?" He states, Phila notably wincing behind him. Guess she wasn't able to cover for him well enough.

Chrom nods, choosing to take the brunt of the man's anger. "I'm sorry Fredrick. Something came up, I got stalled. But we made it here before the orientation speech started."

"Only because we waited to start it. Giving a briefing without everyone present is sloppy."

"Then no harm done, yes? We made it in time, everyone got the message."

Grumbling, Frederick rolls his eyes. "It's unseemly for an Officer to not be punctual."

"I understand, Frederick, and I apologize. But I had a matter to attend to." He answers again calmly.

"That's not an excuse and you know it." He presses, fixing his cap atop his head. "You have both Commissioners watching everyone in this group like a hawk. You especially. And your actions out of everyone here reflect the most on this entire program. What you isn't just going to hurt yourself."

That statement seemed to sting a bit deep, notably making Chrom stumble with his words. The man keeps trying to form a proper sentence, defend his actions, but there's a sense of betrayal that bounces between the two now.

"He was helping me." I quickly spit out, drawing the attention of all three of the others present. "I overslept outside and almost missed orientation. He woke me up and gave me a hand finding my room." I explain quickly, trying to cover my new friend's ass. "It's my fault Sir, really. He was just being a good samaritan."

This seems to quell a bit of Fredrick's anger, his mouth twisting a bit as he ponders my explanation as to why we were behind. Chrom himself looks grateful enough that I stepped in, but also pretty worried about my health.

"You're one of the Plegians." He addresses, his angry tone replaced with a begrudging distrust. "Do your people make a habit of sleeping on the job, Cadet?"

I quickly shake my head at the statement, trying to bite back my tongue from retaliating to the remark. "No, Chief. I made a mistake, but all Chrom did was help me. If there's any demerits or punishments, it should fall on me. Not him."

Once again I can see Phila's expression change behind him, the corner of her mouth curling up into an approving smirk as Frederick continues. "How noble. I didn't know honesty was in a Plegian's vocabulary." He answers gruffly, before turning back towards Chrom. "Your sister told me to keep an eye on you, but I can't protect you from your own stubbornness. Be _careful._ We can't let this project sink before it's even off the ground. Got it?"

"I got it Frederick, I got it." He answers, bowing his head once in apology.

Seemingly content with the discussion's results, the Inspector shuffles off towards the auditorium exit with the Captain directly behind him. Over her shoulder, the blue haired woman shoots us both a clear 'A-OK' sign with her right hand right before they round the doorframe and disappear from our vision.

As soon as they're out of earshot, I clutch my chest and finally release my held breath. Gods, that was terrifying. He looked like he wanted to break me in half. Hell he probably could and no one would know otherwise. "I am never, ever getting in a stare down with him again." I swear out-loud to no one in particular, my heart nearly bursting out from my chest.

"That's the first time I've ever seen someone survive a direct confrontation with him." Chrom notes, clapping me on the shoulder once again. "Nice. And thank you."

"It was a one time thing." I repeat, narrowing my eyes at my roommate. "And are you going to explain what that was about? How is it the two highest ranking people in this place know you personally!?"

"...Another time." Chrom dodges the question, releasing his grip on my shoulder and slinking away off towards the exit himself. "Now let's go! Unless you want to be late for the tour, then you'll get to see Frederick when he's _really_ cross."

I open my mouth to object, but swallow my tongue immediately and take off behind the man. Better to swallow my pride then risk my new job.

Still, four new friends in one day. Lissa seems sweet. Kellam's a quiet, honest fellow. Stahl's a glutton, but I can tell he really does mean well. And Chrom, he's just friendly. A bit too friendly for his own good, probably.

Maybe I won't actually regret picking this line of work after all.


End file.
